As a system to transfer a toner image on an electrophotographic photoreceptor (hereinafter, also denoted simply as a photoreceptor) onto a recording material, there has been known an image forming system using an intermediate transfer member. In such system, one additional transfer step is introduced to the steps of transferring a toner image from an electrophotographic photoreceptor to a recording material, in which the toner image is transferred primarily from an electrophotographic photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer member and then, the primary transfer image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred to the recording material. This system is a multiple transfer system in a so-called full-color image forming apparatus to reproduce a color-separated original image through subtractive color mixing by use of black, cyan, magenta and yellow toners in which the individual color toner images are sequentially transferred primarily from the photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer member and finally, the full-color toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material.
There was disclosed an intermediate transfer member having an elastic layer (as described in, for example, Patent documents 1-3).
Such an intermediate transfer member having an elastic layer has been noticed, the use of which achieved reduction of the concentrated load onto a toner image, resolving problems relating to lack of text images within a toner image.
Patent document 1 reports an example in which an inorganic coating layer is provided on an elastic layer to improve cleaning capability, preventing the surface of an intermediate transfer member from staining due to a toner. Patent document 2 reports an example of forming a highly hard, smooth cover layer on an elastic body. However, the use of such intermediate transfer members resulted in reduced transfer performance of from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material, due to a hard cover layer formed on the elastic body, producing such problems as lack of text images or scattering of toner particles.
Further, in Patent document 3, a fluorine compound bonded to the surface was highly soft, producing abrasion marks due to friction onto a cleaning blade, resulting in deterioration of images.
Patent document 1: JP 2000-206801A
Patent document 2: JP 2006-259581A
Patent document 3: JP 2003-165857